Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

Education

LAUSD Forms A New Magnet School To Train Hollywood Hopefuls

A cameraman stands behind a video camera while demonstrating its use to a woman seated on the left side.
Two interns to shoot a scene during a session of the Academy Gold Production Track Program at Warner Bros Ranch in Burbank, California, on August 1, 2019.
(
Valerie Macon
/
AFP via Getty Images
)

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive. 

The Los Angeles Unified School District will open a new magnet school dedicated to training students from underserved communities for careers in the entertainment industry.

The Roybal School of Film and Television Production will open in fall 2022 on the campus of the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in downtown L.A.

It already has the support of several high-profile actors including George Clooney, Mindy Kaling, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Don Cheadle. Entertainment industry business people and creatives, such as Creative Artists Agency chairman Bryan Lourd and Working Title Films founders Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner have also pledged their support.

LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner says the school will offer a multi-disciplinary education that students can apply to an entertainment career.

Support for LAist comes from

"Physics is involved in how a cinematographer chooses a lens. Math is a part of a foundation for a musical score in a film. Screenwriters need a foundation in literacy and makeup artists needs to know the chemistry of the different materials they might use. And all of this will be tied into the curriculum at the school,” Beutner said on Monday, in his weekly address.

Principal Blanca Cruz will oversee the inaugural program, which will be for 9th and 10th grade students. The magnet school will then add programs for 11th and 12th grade students.

The school will also offer access to internships. The goal is to open the door to high-paying jobs in film and television while increasing Hollywood's diversity.

If this pilot program goes well, it could be expanded to additional schools in the LAUSD.

Corrected June 21, 2021 at 3:51 PM PDT
This story was updated to note the school's location in downtown L.A. LAist regrets the error.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist